While you might think that caring for your lawn requires the same maintenance and jobs all year round, the changing seasons can actually have a big impact on what your lawn does and doesn’t need.
WATCH: Charlie’s low-maintenance and good looking lawn alternative
Seeing as autumn has well and truly arrived, we asked horticulturist and Victa ambassador , Adam Woodhams, for his top tips for caring for a lawn during autumn.
“With the heat, long days and the extra wear and tear of the holiday season, your lawn was in survival mode over the summer months. Now, as the days get shorter and just a little cooler, autumn is the perfect time to lavish your lawn with some TLC to rejuvenate it and help prepare it for the cooler months ahead.”
Bring your lawn back to life with these 5 useful tips.
1. Feed your lawn
“Feeding your lawn now helps with both summer recovery and winter preparation. As the days are getting shorter this becomes more difficult for your lawn as it needs sunlight to generate and store energy. Feeding allows your lawn to create energy more efficiently, it gives it the extra boost to both recover and to build its winter resilience.”
2. Monitor exposure to sunlight
“You need to maximise your lawn’s exposure to sunlight, so keep any falling leaves at bay and keep an eye on any overgrown shrubs that may be shading your lawn. Try running your mower over your lawn at a setting higher than your normal mowing height. Your mower will act like a vacuum cleaner. And all those leaves you catch? They make great garden mulch. Or better yet, use a leaf blower for a fast and easy tidy-up!”
3. Aerate the lawn
“At this time of year, you may also notice bare patches in your lawn where soil is compacted. The quick and easy way to combat this is to use a garden fork to aerate. Drive the fork in a few centimetres and rock gently back and forth. Repeat over the entire area at roughly 5cm spacing before finally raking some dry, clean river sand over the area to fill the holes and keep them open for air and water circulation.”
4. Keep mowing as required
“It’s important to give your lawn a light trim this time of year. While advice on correct lawn cutting height has often been a complex and confusing area with different recommendations based on time of year, the fact of the matter is it’s important to find the right height and just stick with it year-round. The actual height will vary with your lawn type, but I like to aim for what is known as ‘foot feel’ – walk on your lawn barefoot and it should be nice and comfy. Not too hard or too spongy.”
5. Make the most of water
“If conditions have been dry, you can reduce the loss of water by applying a quality soil wetter – this will help ensure any rainfall is soaking in and not running off.”
You might also like
Best autumn trees for your garden
Your guide to Autumn home maintenance
Your guide to growing a lush lawn
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
